JANUARY 8, 2014

STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – State Rep. Steve Montenegro, R- Litchfield Park, announced today that he was introducing a bill titled “Arizona’s First Freedom Act” to protect the First Amendment rights of pastors, ministers, priests, rabbis and the like, as well as their churches. “The United States Supreme Court has ruled against the Defense of Marriage Act and allowed same-sex marriages to be performed in some states. Arizona’s Constitution is clear on this subject, but the willingness of federal courts, including the US Supreme Court, to rewrite State Constitutions threatens our most precious freedoms, specifically those found in the First Amendment. “Arizona’s First Freedom Act is simple and short. It protects the religious freedoms of religious officials and their churches and prohibits them from being forced to conduct marriage ceremonies that directly contradict their beliefs and teachings. “There are a number of churches and ministers who have publicly campaigned for same-sex marriage and who have indicated a willingness to perform them. There is no need to force churches and their officials to participate and Arizona’s First Freedom Act will ensure that those on the radical left will not be able to use same-sex marriage as a weapon against those churches whose teachings and beliefs are irreconcilably at odds with it.” In addition to being a State Representative, Montenegro received a degree in Theology from CBAN and Logos Christian University and currently serves as Associate Pastor/Youth Pastor at the Surprise Apostolic Assembly. His faith and his family are core pillars of his life.